The 3,200 at Meet of Champions was so ridiculously fast up front, with Don Bosco’s Kyle Levermore and CBA’s Jack Boyle both breaking 8:56, it was easy to miss two of South Jersey’s best distance runners, Jimmy Daniels and Shawn Wilson, not far behind.
Daniels, a senior at Sterling, and Wilson, a senior at Cherokee, finished their high school careers as two of the best in South Jersey history, Daniels placing third in 9:00.30 and Wilson seventh in 9:04.05. Another South Jersey runner, Highland’s Steve Maine, was also under 9:06, ninth in a ridiculous 9:05.98. He’ll be back next year.
And none of the three are school records! Marc Pelerin holds Cherokee's record at 9:01.89; Mike Butynes has the Sterling record at 8:59.77, converted from two miles; and Jerry Andrews has the Highland record of 9:03.7, also converted from two miles.
First, let’s take a look at how fast those times are in relation to Meet of Champions history:
Daniels’ 9:00.30 was fast enough to win the 3,200 [or two-mile] 40 of the 48 years in meet history. Wilson’s 9:04.05 would have won it 31 of the 48 years. Even Maine, back in ninth place, would have won it 28 of 48 times.
Incredibly, Daniels, Wilson and Maine are all among the six-fastest two-milers from South Jersey in Meet of Champions history.
Here’s a look at the fastest 3,200 or converted two-mile times by South Jersey runners in Meet of Champions history, and they were the three-fastest in the last 14 years [and three of the four fastest in the last 25 years!]
- 8:58.71 … Murad Campbell, Overbrook, 1999
- 8:59.6h … Jason DiJoseph, Paul VI, 1987
- 9:00.30 … Jimmy Daniels, Sterling, 2013
- 9:03.7h,y … Jerry Andrews, Highland, 1979
- 9:04.05 … Shawn Wilson, Cherokee, 2013
- 9:05.98 … Steve Maine, Highland, 2013
Next, let’s look where Daniels, Wilson and Maine rank overall in South Jersey history. Here’s a list of every South Jersey runner that’s run 9:06 or faster [or converted two-miles]:
- 8:55.43 Murad Campbell [Overbrook], 1999
- 8:59.77y Mike Butynes [Sterling], 1972
- 8:59.97y Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1987
- 9:00.30 Jimmy Daniels [Sterling], 2013
- 9:01.1y Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1980
- 9:01.7y Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1979
- 9:01.89 Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2002
- 9:02.9y Jerry Andrews [Highland], 1979
- 9:03.5y Ed Blakeley [Haddon Twp.], 1975
- 9:04.05 Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 2013
- 9:04.7y Mike Elder [Haddon Twp.], 1974
- 9:05.98 Steve Maine [Highland], 2013
- 9:06.0y Greg Stremmel [Gateway], 1974
- 9:06.47 Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2010
So since 1988 — a span of 26 years — five South Jersey runners have broken 9:06, and three of them did it in the same race!
Of the three South Jersey distance stars, Wilson has by far the fastest 1,600. Daniels ran 4:16.53 at states, which is fast, and Maine ran 4:21.67 at the Camden County meet, which isn’t bad at all. But Wilson’s 4:11.69 puts him in an elite class. And it makes him one of only four runners in South Jersey history to run sub-4:12 for 1,600 meters and sub-9:05 for 3,200 meters. The others are Mike Elder and Mike Mantini, who did it in the 1970s, and Marc Pelerin of Cherokee, who is now one of Wilson’s coaches.
Here’s the all-time South Jersey 1,600 / mile top-10:
- 4:08.51 Brett Johnson, Ocean City, 2008
- 4:10.2y Mike Elder, Haddon Twp., 1973
- 4:10.50 Colin Baker, Haddonfield, 2009
- 4:10.69 John Richardson, Ocean City, 2003
- 4:11.07 Xavier Fraction, Washington Twp., 2009
- 4:11.69 Shawn Wilson, Cherokee, 2013
- 4:11.7 Mike Mantini, Gateway, 1979
- 4:11.96 Tom Cooke, Kingsway, 2012
- 4:12.65 Ryan Garvin, Lenape, 2009
- 4:12.96 Miles Schoedler, Ocean City, 2010
And here’s a look at every runner in state history who’s gone sub-4:12 and sub-9:05. As you can see, only eight runners have done it in the last 29 years, and Pelerin and Wilson are the only South Jersey distance runners to do it in the last 34 years!
- 3:58.3y, 9:01.4y, Marty Liquori, Essex Catholic, 1967
- 4:08.6y, 8:50.7y, Mike Keogh, Essex Catholic, 1970
- 4:09.5y, 9:03.6y, Vince Cartier, Scotch Plains, 1973
- 4:08.6y, 9:03.7y, Mike Elder, Haddon Township, 1974
- 4:09.7y, 8:58.1y, Bob Amitrani, Cranford, 1976
- 4:06.0y, 8:56.4y, Kevin Byrne, Paramus Catholic, 1977
- 4:09.6y, 8:49.7y, Buck Logan, Bernards, 1979
- 4:10.2y, 9:01.7y, Mike Mantini, Gateway, 1979
- 4:11.8y, 9:02.6y, Tom Fischer, Manalapan, 1982
- 4:06.66y, John Carlotti, Bernards, 1983
- 4:05.57, 9:02.7y, Jim Nielsen, Bernards, 1984
- 4:09.35, 9:03.0y, Bob Keino, Ridgewood, 1993
- 4:11.83, 9:01.89, Marc Pelerin, Cherokee, 2002
- 4:07.36, 8:41.23y, Craig Forys, Colts Neck, 2007
- 4:06.22y, 8:40.76y, Joe Rosa, West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 2011
- 4:06.26y, 8:48.16y, Jim Rosa, West Windsor-Plainsboro North, 2010, 2011
- 4:09.53, 9:02.46, Mike Mazzaccaro, Christian Brothers Academy, 2011
- 4:01.88, 8:35.85y, Edward Cheserek, St. Benedict’s, 2013
- 4:11.69, 9:04.05, Shawn Wilson, Cherokee, 2013
Maine will be back in the fall to do more damage for Highland, while Wilson will be running for Syracuse and Daniels for St. Joe’s.
They sure made their mark on South Jersey track before they were done!